liberalism

noun

ˈli-b(ə-)rə-ˌli-zəm How to pronounce liberalism (audio)
Definition of liberalismnext
as in left
a political belief stressing progress, the essential goodness of humankind, and individual freedom liberalism had always claimed to stand for the greatest social good

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of liberalism Their counterparts in Neon kept their Palme d’Or streak alive with Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord, a drama about religious Romanians clashing with Nordic liberalism. — Nate Jones, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026 This switching of places is especially true of Islam seen as an alien but also more virile force than Western liberalism, one whose power thus needs to be countered by its own weapons of solidarity and domination. — Faisal Devji, Time, 11 Sep. 2026 The following year she was elected to the Italian parliament for the maverick Radical Party, a bastion of anticlericalism, civil libertarianism, feminism, liberalism and radicalism in Italy. — ABC News, 11 Sep. 2026 Right’s multiculturalism Meanwhile, the American right was increasingly united less by biological notions of race and more by opposition to multiculturalism, feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, immigration and liberalism. — Eladio Bobadilla, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for liberalism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for liberalism
left
Noun
  • On the left, billionaires are regularly invoked as oligarchic overlords whose wealth and influence have helped erode the foundations of democracy.
    — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Sofia Wylie’s Grace stands in the middle of the trio, the girl to her right cheering normally and the girl to her left, Lisbeth (Geena Meszaros) roaring animalistically.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of left

Browse Nearby Words

liberal
liberalism
liberality
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Liberalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/liberalism. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on liberalism

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about liberalism

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All